MHS Students Win UC Shark Tank Pitch Competition

MHS Students Win UC Shark Tank Pitch Competition

Posted on 02/05/2018

Mason High School freshmen Pranav Yenugu, junior Juan Gaudiano, and Elder High School student Jarred Kelly tied for first place at UC's Shark Tank LAUNCH! Pitch Competition. The two teams split the $1,000 prize. Yenuga and Guadiano have now been invited to the University of Cincinnati Student Incubator.

“We attend a student incubator at the University of Cincinnati where we work to further grow our business. We are the only high schoolers in the incubator and we are working with other college students from UC,” said Guadiano.The MHS team pitched SafeDeliv, a mail and package delivery security technology. SafeDeliv is a little gadget that sits in a mailbox, and is accompanied by a mobile app.

"We had a prototype that we showcased at the LAUNCH! Pitch, and are currently working on creating a market ready version," explained Yenugu. "It has been a very exciting journey for the last few months, and we are looking forward to releasing the product as soon as possible."

The admissions process for entering into the 2017 LAUNCH! Business Startup Program at the University of Cincinnati's Center for Entrepreneurship & Commercialization was very competitive. These students were selected based on their high scholastic achievement, and demonstrated leadership abilities.

"We interacted with expert entrepreneurs and an award winning faculty at UC," added Yenugu. "We registered our business as an LLC, and additionally, we are pursuing investments and researching marketing channels as well."

Mason City School​s Deputy Superintendent, Jonathan Cooper, was an integral part in sharing ​the opportunity with students.

"We are so proud of our students who have adopted an Innovator's mindset and excellence, while pursuing this community opportunity to showcase their ambition, entrepreneurship, leadership abilities and achievements," shared Cooper. "We are excited about what this means for them in the future as they go to market with their product."